Activity

Wind vane

Summary
Make a simple wind vane to measure the wind direction (where it is coming from).
Science content
Earth/Space: Weather, Seasons, Climate Change (K, 1, 4, 7)
Science competencies (+ questioning + manipulation + others that are in every activity)
Planning/conducting: measuring (non-standard K up, standard 2 up)
Planning/conducting: data collection/recording (K up)
Planning/conducting: planning investigations (3 up)
Evaluating: inferring (3 up)
washer weight
coin weight
pen cap pivot
alternative design
Lessons activity is in
Weather for Primaries
Resource
Weather Watcher
Materials
  • long triangle of cardboard (e.g. cereal box)
  • 2 washers or pennies
  • pen cap or small tube
  • tape
  • skewer
Procedure

Discussion of what wind is and does: wind is moving air.
Wind is measured by where it comes from. Wind comes from different directions at different times, and brings us different weather.
Make a wind vane to find out where the wind is coming from.

Tape two washers/coins near to the point of the triangle without sticking over the sides (for weight).
Balance the cardboard flat on your finger to find the balance point, then tape a tube over the balance point with the open end facing the outer edge of the cardboard.
Put a skewer inside the tube/pen cap, to make a pivot, and hold the wind vane up to catch the wind. The point of the triangle will face the way the wind is coming from.

Use a compass to check for exactly which way the wind is coming from.

Look at live interactive map of Earth’s winds and find your place on it: https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-…

Notes

This is a simplified version of the wind vane on p.20 of the Weather Watcher book.

See last photo for alternative design: clay for weight; pin through a straw for the pivot.

Grades taught
Gr K
Gr 1